


Perfect Prisoner

by LordLaurance



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie falls for Joaquin, Bisexual Archie Andrews, Canon Gay Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Joaquin falls for Archie, Joaquin has his heart broken, Joaquin thinks Archie is straight, M/M, Pansexual Character, Pansexual Joaquin DeSantos, archie questions his sexuality, bisexual icon Archie Andrews, jailbreak, single veronica lodge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-08-26 07:26:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16677229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordLaurance/pseuds/LordLaurance
Summary: "Why did you kiss me?""Simple. 'Cause I wanted to."----------------------Or the one where two convicts share a kiss.





	1. Thinking

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after the events of season 3, episode 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie can't stop thinking about Joaquin. Joaquin can't stop thinking about Archie.

 

Archie Andrews couldn't stop thinking about Joaquin Desantos. Specifically the day he last saw Joaquin; when he escaped prison.

He couldn't stop thinking about how Joaquin's small, soft hands had gently held his as the thin boy had wrapped his bloodied fingers. He couldn't stop thinking of how Joaquin's shoulder had stiffened when he touched it, then relaxed after just a moment. He couldn't stop thinking about the way the boy had looked at him with surprise when Archie grabbed his arm, the way Joaquin broke eye contact and put his head down without saying a word. He couldn't stop thinking of the piercing blue eyes scanning his lips. He couldn't stop thinking about Joaquin's small body flying forward and his tiny hands cupping his cheeks. He couldn't stop thinking about the dark-haired young man pulling him as close as possible and connecting their lips.

Archie couldn't stop thinking about the look of hurt in Joaquin's eyes when he shoved him away, the physical and emotional pain he felt when the blade pierced his flesh, the apologetic frown and the mouthing of 'I'm so sorry', the blood on the soft brown flesh of the boy's right hand.

 

 

Joaquin Desantos couldn't stop thinking about Archie Andrews. Specifically when they had tried to plan a jailbreak.

He couldn't stop thinking about when he began to run but, his feet failed him and he tumbled to the ground. He couldn't stop thinking of the way Archie had skidded to a stop, wasting his own precious time, and turned around to help him. He couldn't stop thinking about the way Archie had grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled him to his feet, meeting his eyes for just a moment. He couldn't stop thinking about when the rubber bullets were fired, sending their fellow prisoners hurdling down all around them. He couldn't stop thinking about how he and Archie made it to the fence, being two of the last men standing. He couldn't stop thinking of Archie's hands grabbing onto his tiny waist and pulling him off the metal fence. He couldn't stop thinking about how the other boy threw his large body on top of him, ready to take any impact needed to protect him.

Joaquin couldn't stop thinking of how he had willed himself to kiss Archie, his hands shaking, knowing what would come next. He couldn't stop thinking about how the kiss tasted, the softness of the other's lips, the tears welling in the back of his eyes when he was pushed away, the way his jaw shivered as he apologized, the noise of utter pain when the blade in his hand pierced Archie's torso.


	2. Finally Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie has a temporary distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably pick up a little. lol

"Archie! Archie, wake up!" Jughead Jones shouted from the entrance of Dilton Doyle's bunker.

"I woke up a long time ago, Jug." Archie informed his friend, pushing himself up and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Oh! Well, I brought you a little something from Pop's." Jughead plopped down next to him and tossed a bag of food onto his lap.

"Thanks, Jug." Archie replied as the other boy handed him a strawberry milkshake.

"No problem." Jughead fell back, laying flat on the bed, pulling his beanie off his dark hair. He squeezed his fingers around the hat before dropping it onto the pillow.

Archie took a bite of his burger, savoring the sandwich with every inch of his mouth. It had been... God knows how long since he had eaten real food, let alone Pop's.

"You doing okay, bud?" Jughead asked, reaching one hand towards his friend. He ran one finger across the flesh of Archie's bare torso, just above his bandage.

"Yeah. I feel a lot better now than I did when I had a knife in my stomach." Archie laughed. The red haired boy leaned back as well, falling onto the mattress next to his best friend. He smiled silently and sipped at his milkshake.

"I'm so glad I'm out of that place."

"I'm glad you're out too." Jughead sighed.

 

A moment later, Archie heard the hatch of the bunker open.

"Yo! Arch! You ready to party!?" Reggie Mantle's voice shouted.

Archie sat up again, looking over at the opening. Standing in the tunnel were all of Archie's friends: Reggie Mantle, Toni Topaz, Kevin Keller, Cheryl Blossom, Sweet Pea, Fangs Fogarty, Betty Cooper, Josie McCoy, Moose Mason, and Veronica Lodge.

"Guys?" Archie asked, a smile playing at his lips.

The squad rushed forward, pulling Archie off the bed, collecting him in a group hug. Veronica leaned over to her boyfriend, kissing him gently.

"We wanted to surprise you. So, we're having a party." she explained. "We have drinks, decorations, music, cake."

Archie's face lit up. He had missed Veronica. He had missed hugging her, kissing her.

But something about the kiss felt... weird... He decided not to dwell on the weird feeling, deciding to forget about it, as it must just be that he hasn't seen her in a while.

 

Cheryl and Sweet Pea set up the drinks, some soda and some... not soda... in the corner. Fangs put the cake next to it and Josie set up the blue tooth speaker and connected it to her phone. Kevin started putting up decorations.

"You guys really didn't have to do this." Archie stated, looking around the bunker as Veronica helped him put on a bulldogs jersey.

"Don't worry about it, Archiekins. We want to make you feel better." Veronica grinned, flattening out his shirt. "There you go. Looking much better."

"Thanks, Ronnie." Archie replied. He kissed her cheek gently.

"You are quite welcome."

 

The party was short and simple, Sweet Pea complained about Josie's music choices, Cheryl and Toni made out a bit, Jughead shoved cake down Archie's shirt, so on.

But by the end of the night, everyone was gone. And Archie was left alone, empty, thinking once again.


	3. An Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie gets a visitor

Archie pulled out his phone. It was 9:30. Apparently, it was also July 25.

If it weren't for that device he had been left with, he wouldn't know anything. There was no way to tell what was going on outside.

Archie shifted, rolling onto his side. He instantly regretted it, as his wounded stomach was assaulted by the mattress.

The red haired boy hissed in pain and shot up into a sitting position. He groaned, turning onto the other side. He sat there for a good ten minutes, staring at the wall. 

The bunker was silent, cold, empty. He wanted so badly to just get up and walk out. But he knew the police were looking for him. He knew that everyone thought he was a criminal. He felt trapped in his own town.

Reggie and Juggy would come by every night to bring him snacks. They would tell him about school and about his friends. But it wasn't enough.

He needed to get out.

 

Archie devised a plan. He would sneak out of the bunker and walk through the woods. He'd go to Pop's and find a way into the speakeasy. From there, he'd just have to hope no one noticed him.

He crawled out of the bed, cringing when he put weight on his legs. The only time Toni would allow him to stand was when he had to go to the bathroom or when someone was helping him get used to walking again.

Archie bit down on his lip, limping toward the tunnel at the end of the bunker. He took a few shaky steps in, finally finding his balance. 

He swallowed hard and stepped father toward the exit. He grabbed onto the ladder as hard as he could, mustering all his upper body strength to pull himself up all the way onto it. He cringed even harder.

"Gah..." he muttered.

Archie slowly pulled himself up the ladder. He reached one hand up pushing the small hatch up and out, almost losing his balance in the process.

 

It took him forever but, soon enough, Archie had escaped the confines Dilton's bunker. It felt like he had gone from prison-to-prison.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air, finally being able to enjoy the sweet freedom that he had recently gained.

"Archie!?" A voice called. 

Archie looked up, eyes shooting open. "Kevin!? What are you doing here?"

"Shh. We'll talk when we we get inside. Come on, you can't be out here!" Kevin rushed forward and grabbed Archie's shoulders, pushing him down gently. "How did you even...?"

Archie allowed his friend to slowly push him down, though he instantly regretted it.

 

Kevin set Archie down, having carried him bridal-style through the tunnel. He got him settled on the bed before pulling up a chair and joining him.

"You know you can't take risks like that." Kevin stated.

Archie rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I know." he sighed. "What was it you wanted, Kev?"

Kevin bit his lip, thinking for a moment, before finally speaking. "You said you saw Joaquin? That he's the one who..."

"Yeah?"

"Well... I want to see him. And I need your help."


	4. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin, Archie, and Jughead go looking for Joaquin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter this time! Yay!

It was one in the morning on July twenty-ninth, according to Archie cellphone. It had been two and a half days since Archie saw Kevin and, they were finally ready to go.

Archie waited for the signal: two knocks, ten seconds apart. He pulled on a plain white T-shirt and skinny jeans and limped over to the ladder, looking up at the hatch.

One knock.

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10

One knock.

Archie grabbed onto one metal wrung and pulled himself up. He pushed the hatch open and looked up, meeting the soft face of his best friend above.

Jug reached down, grabbing Archie's hand, yanking him up and onto the grass.

 

"We gotta lay low. You're still an escaped convict." Jughead explained quietly, rushing through the forest, Archie hanging on his arm like a TV trophy wife.

"Right. Right, yeah." Archie nodded, keeping up a brisk pace alongside Jug. "Lay low. How are we gonna do that?"

"You'll see."

 

The two boys came to the edge of Fox Forest, stopping on a quiet, ominous road. There was a dark pick-up truck parked a few meters to their left, consumed by shadows.

Jughead held up two fingers, hooking them slightly. Archie watched as the figure of a young man stepped out of the truck.

Kevin moved hastily toward the boys. "Honestly, I didn't think you'd come." he muttered under his breath.

"Do you have the stuff?" Jughead asked, ignoring Kev's previous statement.

The other boy nodded, holding up what Archie recognized to be a Southside Serpent Jacket. It was only then that he realized that Kevin was wearing one of his own, on top of his dark green sweater and black skinny jeans.

"What's this?" Archie furrowed his brows.

"I said 'lay low', Arch. No one will question three Serpents in gang territory. And as long as we're protected under Serpent law, no one in their right mind will dare touch us." Jughead explained.

"Hence the hair dye," Kevin held up a bottle of spray-on temporary dye. "And this." He spun around and pulled up the back of his shirt, revealing a tiny Serpent tattoo on the small of his back.

Archie had to stop himself from laughing, as it was quite painful. "Kev, it that a tramp stamp?"

"Yes. Yes it is. Juggy made me a Serpent just like you." Kevin replied semi-proudly. "Now come here."

Archie stepped forward, putting his head down as Kevin shook the dye. He sprayed it into the red locks atop his friend's head, blending it into the roots to make the black look more natural.

Finally, they were ready. Archie slid his arms into the leather sleeves of the jacket.

"He was heading south, toward Greendale." Kevin stated, running a hand through his hair.

The three young Serpents looked at each other, then down the dark street. They headed off, the low fog licking at their calves.

 

"This has to be the place." Jughead stated.

It had taken over an hour of walking through the moonlit woods and a lot of pain on Archie's part, but they had finally come to a small building in the center of the Southside Forest. It seemed to be an old school, temporarily abandoned, reclaimed now, a few dim lights on inside. The doors and windows were boarded up but, there was a bright splash of red paint on the main entrance.

Kevin clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. "Then, let's go in."

Archie nodded once, but Jughead took the lead, smoothing his own leather jacket with his hands. He approached the large double door, knocking a couple times.

A man, maybe about mid-forties with dark hair and a long beard, answered the knock, appearing behind the glass. "State your business." he told them.

"We, uh, we're-" Kevin stuttered.

"We're Joaquin Desantos' boys." Jughead interrupted.

Archie nodded in agreement, though the man, who looked them up and down, didn't seem convinced. "Serpents?" he asked.

"Yeah, Serpents. Got a problem with it?" Jug snarled.

The man snorted, crossed his arms, and turned to leave. It looked like their efforts would be fruitless. Until Jughead slammed his fist on the door again.

"Look, pal," the shortest guy raised his voice a little. "Quinny gets, let's say... a little on edge... if we don't provide our services. It's best for everyone if you just let us in."

Kevin stepped forward a little, his body reading something along the lines of 'if you don't let me in, I'll just come in'. Archie bit his lip a little but tried to stand his ground.

The guy looked them over again, reluctantly opening the door. "Yo, Desantos! Your playthings are here!" he called into the seemingly empty high school.

One by one, Archie watched dozens of guys spill out of classrooms. They were all dirty, rough, and looked like they could kill you with their eyelashes. They just kept coming, one after another, all the way up to the third floor.

Finally, one small, thin boy, younger than the rest, leaned over the second floor railing. Archie instantly recognized the tiny figure as Joaquin. The look of confusion on the other's face only grew when he saw why he had been summoned.

"They say they're your boys." The large man stated.

"Hey babe." Jughead added, waving a little.

"I-I, uh, um..." Joaquin stuttered for a moment before swallowing hard and straightening his posture. "About time you three showed up."

"We got lost. Haven't been to your new place yet." Kevin shrugged, confidence somehow radiating from him. He seemed a lot calmer than Archie felt.

Archie's heart was racing and he kind of felt like he was going to vomit. He could feel his stomach twisting, causing a sharp pain in his healing wound.

"Well, the elevator's to the left. Be careful but, get your asses up here." Joaquin crosses his arms, ignoring the coughs of 'fag' and 'bossy bottom' from the older men.

Archie looked up at his new friend, catching the piercing blue eyes with his own brown ones. They kept the eye contact going as Kevin helped him limp toward the elevator.

 

Kevin took the liberty of being the first out of the rickety, old, death trap of an elevator. He pried the rusty doors open and stepped forward. He confidently strode forward, grabbing Joaquin's small face, framing it with his much larger hands. He yanked him forward and kissed him, hard and lustful, biting gently on his bottom lip.

Joaquin sunk against Kevin's chest, moaning a little into the kiss. After a moment, they slowly pulled apart. "I've missed you," Kevin whispered and Archie knew that wasn't part of the act.

Suddenly, a pang of guilt shot through him. He knew Kevin still loved Joaquin and, it was weird to be in the middle of them, the one who Joaquin kissed. The one who Joaquin trusted to get him out of prison. He felt like he could die right there, slumped on Jughead's shoulder.

Joaquin's hands, which had been clutching Kevin's biceps, fell back to his sides. "I've missed you too. All of you. Now, let's get to my room. We don't need all these prying eyes on us."

Jughead, who had taken off his hat and mussed up his hair in an attempt to be less recognizable as the Serpent King, held on tighter to Archie's waist as they entered Joaquin's room.

 

The makeshift bedroom, which was just as messy, rusty, and stuffy as the rest of the building, didn't seem to be set for comfort. There was a moldy and stained mattress in the corner and a small, portable reading light. There were only a few clothing items laying on the floor, which all together made one outfit aside from the one Joaquin was wearing. Archie quickly realized that the extra outfit was the one from the prison.

Right now, Joaquin was wearing an extremely tight, white T-shirt and plain skinny jeans, as well as a pair of gray gym shoes. He looked more frail than Archie remembered, more weak. Had he not been eating right?

None of that mattered now, though. For Archie wanted nothing more than to get answers. Well, he also wanted to hug Joaquin. But _then_ get answers.

"Joaquin..." Archie muttered. He took a half-step forward, and though his feet didn't move, Joaquin receded a bit. He put his head down and bit his lip.

Archie stepped forward a little more, gripping the smaller boy and dragging him into his arms. He hugged him as tight as his huge arms would allow. Joaquin paused for a moment, contemplating his next move, before wrapping his arms around the redhead's waist.

Archie's fingers tangled into Joaquin's hair and he pulled his face to his chest. "I'm glad you made it out." he whispered.

"Ye-yeah. You too, Andrews."

 

When the two pulled apart from each other, Archie glanced back at Jughead and Kevin.

Jughead's jaw was hanging open, his blue eyes wide. He looked confused as all hell. He blinked a few times, shaking his head.

Kevin had his arms crossed over his chest. He looked down at the floor, closing his eyes for a moment. When he looked back up, a fake smile forming on his lips.

 

Archie frowned. He pat Joaquin's shoulder before limping back over to the other boys. "What is this place? This gang?"

"They're playing G&G," Kevin interrupted. "I noticed it with the door guy. I could taste it on you, Joaquin. You've all got blue lips."

"Joaquin?" Archie looked at him again. "Is he right?"

Joaquin looked back and forth nervously between the boys. "Yeah, but, it isn't what you think."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "This game kills people, Joaquin."

"You don't understand, Kev. Just-Just let me show you."

Before Kevin could protest, Jughead was nodding. Joaquin grabbed their wrists in one hand and Archie's in the other, smiling as he quickly guided them out of the room.

They followed the thin boy down a long hallway, to a large door that read 'cafeteria'.

Archie examined the door. There were two big windows on it, showing the inside. Within the cafeteria were at least twenty tables, half of which were filled with people, clearly playing the game.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, turning to Joaquin.

"Yes, of course. You have nothing to worry about." his voice was fast and nervous and Archie wasn't sure he believed him.

The oldest of the three wrapped his fingers around the door handle, pulling it open, allowing all the noises of the G&G players to flood out.

Immediately, Archie was filled with adrenaline. Everyone seemed to be excited and everything was fast-paced.

The four stepped into the huge room and Joaquin grabbed something from a nearby counter.

"Here," he said, holding out a small plastic cup after dumping something into his mouth. "Eat some of this."

Kevin took the cup first, tilting it over his mouth without hesitation. He then handed it to Archie.

When he looked inside, the tallest boy found the bottom of the cup to be covered in small red... crystals?

"Are these Fizzlerocks?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

Joaquin nodded. "Yep. It's customary to eat them before the game."

Archie turned to Jughead and they shared a confused look. But eventually, they both shrugged and downed half of the remaining candy.

 

Joaquin led the boys to a picnic table, gesturing them to sit down alongside the two girls waiting there.

Once they were all sat at the table, he joined them.

"Alright, Game Master, Sorceress," Joaquin said quietly. "Let us begin."


	5. Trapped and Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Red Paladin plays his first game of G&G

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet
> 
>  
> 
> Yo... Dear Evan Hansen is an emotional rollercoaster

Joaquin led the boys to a picnic table, gesturing them to sit down alongside the two girls waiting there.

Once they were all sat at the table, he joined them.

"Alright, Game Master, Sorceress," Joaquin said quietly. "Let us begin."

The girl across from Joaquin stood, her long blonde hair flipping over her shoulder. She had small blue eyes and a round nose and pink lips. She was dressed in a floor-length purple robe. She glanced at Archie, then Jughead, then Kevin.

"Sariqa, you have brought us the Red Paladin?" She asked, brows furrowed.

"He came willingly, Reine. To play." Joaquin responded quietly.

The girl, Reine, nodded. "What are your names?" She looked toward the three again.

Archie paused for a moment before straightening his back and swallowing a knot in his throat. God, why was his throat so dry?

"Uh," Archie started. "I'm lluitador, the Red Paladin." 

Reine nodded approvingly. 

"I'm Érzi. I'm a nisse." Kevin muttered. 

Reine nodded again. 

"I am Salire, the deadeye." Jughead said confidently, looking up at Reine. 

"Good," the blonde said. "Manyeo, prepare the sacred die." 

The other girl, a young brunette, who couldn't be more than thirteen, stood, rolling the dice onto the table before her. "You shall begin, Red Paladin." 

Archie gulped again. He felt Joaquin's hand travel onto his knee, squeezing it once. He had an almost hopeful look in his bright blue eyes and it almost made Archie feel better, despite the current situation. He attempted at a smile. 

"Right, okay, got it," Archie carefully picked up the small object, which had twenty flat sides. He carefully rolled it across the game board before him. 

The other teenagers kept their eyes glued to the tiny, blue die as it stopped, revealing the number sixteen. 

Reine smirked. 

"You wake up in a dark, damp forest, somewhere in Eldervair. You have no recollection of how you got there. All you can see are two figures beside you and the outline of the moon behind a canopy of trees. One of the figures rises, and you look over. Salire stares back at you, rubbing his head. What do you do?" Reine asked. 

"I..." Archie looked over at Jug, who gave him a reassuring smile, as if encouraging him to make a move. "I ask him what happened." 

Reine rolled the die, looking down at it, and started again. "You open your mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the sound of a loud screech, about a mile ahead of you. The other figure, Ezri, startles awake at the noise." 

When he was sure she wouldn't speak, Archie began again. "I stand, beckoning for Ezri and Salire to follow me." 

The dice landed once more and Reine gave it a strange look, then shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Salire and Ezri do as you say, following close behind as you find your way to a brightly lit, open clearing. There's a group of people standing in a circle, clad in dark robes. In the center of the circle is the Gargoyle King. He turns his head slowly and meets your eyes." 

"I step forward, smile, nod, and take a knee before the Gargoyle King." The red head tells her. 

"The Gargoyle King stays quiet, but Sariqa kneels next to you. He informs you that the king needs your help. Someone by the name of the Gryphon Queen has been forcing people out of the game. You are the only ones who can stop the Gryphon Queen. Do you accept?" 

"Yes," Archie says without hesitation. His judgment seems impaired today. "We accept." 

Jughead and Kevin don't look sure but, they keep their mouths shut. 

"Good," Reine nods. "You must begin your journey now. There is a clue-" 

Joaquin's head shot up as blaring sirens began to sound outside the building. 

"Are those police sirens!?" Kevin jumped out of his seat. 

"Shit!" Joaquin closed the game board, stuffing it and the die inside Manyeo's backpack. "We gotta go!" 

Flashing blue, red, and white lights streamed through the windows, blinding Archie temporarily. He grabbed onto Joaquin's shirt for support and they both ran. 

Joaquin dragged Archie to the elevator, slamming his hand on the button. 

"Shouldn't we use the stairs!?" Archie urged. 

"Can't. Too late," Joaquin muttered. "The stairs are all the way on the other side." 

Quickly, the gang members dispersed, each rushing to find their own hiding place or escape route. Jughead and Kevin were nowhere in sight. Archie's foot began tapping. 

The cops were banging on the door, windows in the distance shattered, and as he heard the door collapse, Joaquin clutched Archie's wrist, pulling him into the elevator. The door closed and they began to descend. 

"That was a close one," Archie panted. "How we gon-gonna get out?" he swallowed hard, his vision going slightly blurry.

"We're not," Joaquin quietly flicked a switch on the wall and the elevator stopped.

"Joa-Joaquin?" Archie stuttered out. "What are you doing?"

"We're never gonna make it out of here. There are pigs everywhere. If we leave this elevator, we'll get caught. And I don't know about you but, I can't go back to jail. I won't go back to jail." Joaquin leaned against the wall. "Our best shot is to sit here and wait it out."

Archie nodded but, it felt like his brain was flipping with every movement. He had the urge to throw up. His stomach and chest were in knots and, everything around him looked smudged. "I don't... I don't feel so good..."

Joaquin examined the other boy's condition, then laughed. "Hate to break it to you, Red, but, you're high."

"High? But I never-"

"Fizzlerocks, dumbass. I thought you knew."

"Oh…"

"Ya get used to it after a while. Started taking them back in the prison. Warden Norton is, like, some kind of dealer."

"Was." Archie stated.

"Really? The old bastard finally got what was coming?"

Archie nodded.

"How ya feeling?" The long haired boy slid down the wall, settling himself in the floor.

"What? Well, nauseous, numb, tingly-"

"I meant that." Joaquin pointed toward Archie's side. It was a miracle that his stitches were still closed.

"Better," Archie had almost forgotten about the searing pain and the bloody wound but, at the mention, his mind flooded with the bad memories.

"Good," Joaquin watched Archie kneel down across from him. "Sorry again, by the way."

Archie looked up. The other boy was pulling at a piece of dry skin on his finger. "It's all good." He admitted.

Joaquin raised his brow. "Really?"

"I mean, you're in drugs and you're hanging with a bunch of G&G players. It was just to ascend wasn't it?"

Joaquin, who now looked mildly offended, thought it over. "Yeah..."

"I don't blame you, Joaquin. You're not in a good place right now, none of us are. Besides, we're friends now. And Kevin... He really likes you. Loves you even. Anyone who's good enough for Kev is good enough for me." Archie replied.

"Oh..." Joaquin's face was slightly pink now. "Cool, yeah, good."

"I do have one question though," the red head added, shifting and blinking twice to clear his vision.

"Shoot,"

"Why did you kiss me? Was that gonna help you ascend?" Archie met Mission's blue eyes with his own brown ones.

"What? No. It-" Joaquin paused. "Simple. I wanted to."

"Huh?"

"I'm a gay guy, in a prison, with a super attractive red head who I trust and respect. I took a shot." The older shurgged. "Why? Did you not like it? Make you uncomfortable or something?"

"It's not that I didn't like it per say," Archie defended, though instantly regretted it. Judging by Joaquin's face, he was pretty surprised by the answer too. "It was just... different; new. I've never kissed a guy before."

Joaquin laughed to himself, face slightly red. "Never thought I'd be anyone's first Dude Kiss."

"Well, surprise!" Archie chuckled. "But no, it wasn't, like, bad."

The shorter nodded. "Good. I was hoping so."

The younger one reached out one hand, taking the other's small fingers in his own and squeezing comfortingly.

"Friends?" Archie asked.

"Friends." Joaquin squeezed Archie's hand in hand in return.


End file.
